shape-shift. Knowing that Tain will never trust him if he refuses, Garak reluctantly does so. As the device causes Odo obvious pain, Garak begs him to reveal anything of use, even if it is a lie. Odo confesses his desire to return to his fellow Changelings, and Garak deactivates the device. When the fleet arrives at the Founders' homeworld, they find little resistance and open fire, but soon realize that the planet is abandoned, and the mission was a trap. Suddenly, Dominion ships appear and engage the fleet, vastly outnumbering them. In the resulting battle, the Cardassian–Romulan fleet is annihilated. Knowing that the battle is lost, Garak leaves the bridge of his ship to rescue Odo. They encounter Lovok, who reveals himself to be a Founder and assists Odo in escaping. He confesses that the Founders viewed the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order as threats and helped push Tain's plan forward in order to destroy them, meaning the only threats left are the Federation and the Klingons. He invites Odo to return to the Founders, but Odo declines. Garak attempts to save Tain, but Tain refuses to leave, and Garak refuses to abandon him, so Odo knocks Garak unconscious and escapes with him on the runabout. Trying to escape the crossfire, they are badly damaged and fearing the end, Garak asks Odo for forgiveness. The Defiant then rescues them from the battle. Back on Deep Space Nine, Toddman confirms there are no signs of other survivors from the attack, and subtly commends Sisko by deciding not to court-martial him. Garak sits mournfully in the wreckage of his shop. Odo arrives and invites Garak to join him for breakfast. Arc significance This episode is a pivotal moment in the timeline of Deep Space Nine, one which would define the plotline for the remainder of the series. After several episodes in the second and third seasons establishing the Dominion as a threat, beginning with "The Jem'Hadar", the events of this episode make the eventual war between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant inevitable. The repercussions of the events depicted in this episode resonate throughout the remainder of the series, as the destruction of the Obsidian Order fleet leads to the crippling of the Obsidian Order, a war between the Cardassians and Klingons, and the eventual absorption of Cardassia into the Dominion, which precipitates the beginning of the war between the Dominion and